Tire chain lock



Jan. 3, 1928. 1,654,752

' J. F. RALEIGH TIRE CHAIN LOCK Filed p 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l v fizz/enforfaifzas yjfa/efy/a. COMM, /WM

13 717C Wk Jan. 3, 1928. 1,654,752

J. F. RALEIGH TIRE CHAIN LOCK Filed Sept. 7,- 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 type of theft preventing device,

' stance, a pair of wrenches, P

Patented Jan. 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,654,152 PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. RALEIGH, OFJRIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO PINES WINTERFRONT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TIRE CHAIN LOCK.

' Application filed September 7,

My invention comprises a simple and efiec tive means for preventing theft of spare wheels or tires of automotive vehicles, by preventing the unauthorized removal of the said wheels or tires from their carrier without the destruction of the wheel so as to render it unfit for further use, but my mvention is of general application and may. be incorporated in devices for preventing theft of objects other than spare wheels.

More specifically, my invention s concerned with certain improvements 1nthat comprising a flexible member, as a chain or cable designed to be passed through openlngs in or around major parts of both the wheel and its carrier or other parts of the vehicle to which it is desired to lock the wheel, and provlded with a locking member for joining the free ends of the said flexible member, thus preventing removal of the wheel.

All the locks of the prior art have been.

constructed with exposed parts held in fixed relation by various pins, cot-ters, and other fastening means, a characteristic of such locks being that the said fastening means are relatively the weakest parts, so that by applying ordinary gripping tools, as for inand twisting the arts fixed by such pins, etc., the lock may be broken and its object defeated by ordinary working tools in a relatively short time. Other locks are easily broken by fracturing their brittle cast-iron casing with a sharp hammer blow, but my invention overcomes all these disadvantages and others, and among its salient objects, templates:

First, the provision ofa lock in whichit is impossible to obtain unauthorized access to the article locked, by the application of a wrench or a plurality of wrenches or ing tools to mg member by manually twisting relatively fixed parts of the lock.

. Second, theaccomplishment of the foregoing results by the provision of a lock having all its ex osed'integral parts or surfaces freely rotatah preventing breaking by twisting, due to the total absence of resistance of the integral parts of the lock to rotatable forces relative to each other.

Third, the provision of a theft preventing myinvention eon- 1 the lock, and breaking the Fdc le relative to each other, thus 1926. Serial No. 133.8?2.

pable of attachment to the standard equipment tire carrier of modern automobile vehicles. with a minimum of labor and tools and by one not a skilled mechanic.

Fourth, the provision of a novel theft preventing device of the class described, simple in structure, easy to assemble and economical of manufacture.

In the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views:

Figurel is a vertical elevation in perspee tive showing the application of my invention to the Ford standard equipment tire carrier.

Figure 2 isa vertical elevation of the lock and carrier plate taken on the line 2- -2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical elevation of my im proved lock.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the same with out the chain.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the lock of Figures 3 and 4, showing in unlocked relation a section of the lock casing taken on the lines 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the parts in locked position.

Figure 7 is a vertical view of the lock, showing thelock casing in section on the line 77 of Figure 4 with the locking in unlocked osition. Figure 8 1s a view similar to'Figure 7 with the locking bolt in locked position.

In the drawings, 1 denotes a supporting member, including a front flange 2 adapted to be permanently fixed or riveted to the car frame or body, and a rear carrier plate 3 adapted to support permanently the spider members 4, which are provided with the forwardly bent ends 5 and the removable lug members 6, held by the bolts 7 and adapted t o removably support the rim 8 and tire 9, 1n a manner well known to those skilled in the art. Y

The lock 10 has its eyebolts 13 and 15 connected to the ends of the flexible member 40, which may be of any flexible material capable of withstanding high shearing and tensile stress, as a steel cable, but Iprefer to use a steel chain covered with a tubular leather or rubber casing. to protect the adjacent parts of the car from abrasion by the said chain.

The chain and lock may be disposed about bolt the locked membeisin many different ways but I prefer to place the lock behind the carrier plate 3 and between the said plate and the car frame, thus placing the lock in a relatively inaccessible position hindering the application of breaking tools. In order to connect my device to the standard carrier in a simple manner, I prefer to bore a single hole in the said carrier plate, or in any other permanently fixed part of the carrier, the hole being of such size as to permit a forced lit with the eyebolt 15, which arrangement holds the end of the chain to the car, ale though the device is unlocked, thereby preventing its loss from the car; or I may make the eyebolt 13 of sutficient length to pass through the carrier plate and pastthe said eyebolts and the carrier plate before vassembling the said eyebolt and casing permanent! ly, in a manner hereinafter to be'describe'd.

The latter method provides a locking chain which cannot be stolen, lost, or removed although left unlocked, and is permanently;

' ,the ends of the links of the chain being firmassembled with the carrier plate. The locking device comprises an enclosing case 10, of T or L shape, comprising the transverse union of two cylindrical portions.

11 and 14, the axis of the cylindrical pot-- tion 11 being slightly offset from that of the cylindrical portion 14 for a purpose which Will appear more fully hereinafter, The said casing-may be made of any metal or ma terial adapted to resist destruction by fracture or otherwise, but I prefer to form the same of malleable cast-iron or steel, which cannot be broken by sharp; impact.- The casing 10 is centrally bored as at 36in the cylindrical portion 11 for the reception of the lock barrel 18 comprisinga conventional.

type of lock barrel having a rotatable key slot 19, the rotatable locking bolt 30 and the conventional tumbler mechanism (not shown) in its interior, adapted to be operated only by a key 17 of predetermined conformation.

The lock barrel 18 may protrude slightly from the cylindrical portion of the casing 11 without affording any substantial grip for a wrench or other tool or the barrel 18, but I prefer to seat the lock barrel 18 substantially wholly within the casing 11 leaving no exposed surface to apply such tools. The key slot plate 37 may also be of a type having an external surface freely rotatable in the lock barrel 18 thus precluding the use of a screw driver to apply breaking torque to the key slot and barrel, or to rotate the barrel relative to the casing 11, or to destroy the shape of the slot so as to prevent entrance of the key. The key slot plate 37 may likewise be of a size entirelv covering the external end surface of the lock barrel 18, as well as to be freely rotatable in said barrel without a key and without actuating the lock, thereby providing all exposed inteeyebolt's 13 and 15, of the shape of the standard cotter pin, but of a size, material and strength, commensurate with the stren th of the flexible member 40, the ends of which are locked together. By he use of end members of this shape for t e flexible member, I provide a structure which is economically manufactured, easil assembled and firmly locked and-held in t 'e lock casing 11, as both ends of the eyebolt. areheldinside the casing by the locking'bolt. I prefer to make these eyebolts 13-15 as well as the chain links, of high quality drawn steel,

ly welded together to form integral closed links of great strength. The eyebolt 13 is provided at its stem with an external ansteel ring 26, also of rectangular cross section and of resilient spring steel; the bore 21 at the right end (Fig. 5) is likewise pro-- vided with an internal annular rectangular slot 25 of the same width as the slot 24 but of less depth, preferably about half the depth of slot 24 so that the split rin 26 may spring out of the slot 24 onl partially when the said slots are aligned thereby permanently but rotatably fixing the two ends of the eyebolt 13 in the bore 21. In assembling the eyebolt casing and chain, the eyebolt is first looped through the end links of thechain, its ends hammered together and partiall inserted in the bore 21 to the edge of the s 0t 24. The split spring ring is then sprung down into the slot 24 and the eyebolt stem further inserted in the bore 21 with its split ring, until the slots register, whereupon the ring 26 springs out a radial distance equal to half its thickness into the slot 25, preventing removal of theeyebolt but permitting its free rotation in the easing. The lock barrel 18 and the bore 36 are likewise provided with registering slots 33 and 32 respectively and are held in assembled relation by the split ring 34 in a similar recessed as at 29 with a circular recess, which recess when the said bolt is in open position is adapted to form a cyl'ndrical continuation of the wall of the bore 1 where the bore 21 and the bore intersect. The eyebolt 15, the stem of which is adapted .to be slidably and rotatably received in the bore 21, is provided with an annular slot of the cross section of a segment of a circle, the straight side of said segment coinciding with the surface of said eyebolt, and the said annular slot is of a'depth and shape such that when the eyebolt 15 is in locked position the surface of this slot in the said eyebolt coincides with and forms a continuationof the internal surface of the bore 35. In other words, the locking bolt 30 and the eyebolt 15 at its stem, are each cut away to an amount which is equal to that portion of the locking bolt 30 which protrudes in the intersecting bore 21, and to that portion of the locking bolt 30 which rotrudesintothe intersecting bore 35, but t e slot in the locking bolt 30 is made annular in such manner that the operation of the said lock is as follows:

The locking bolt 30 is first turned by the key 17 to open position, as in Figures 5 and 7, whereupon the stem ofthe eyebolt 15 may be inserted in the bore 21 until the slot 20 permits free rotation 'of the locking bolt, which is then turned to locking position by the key 17. The cylindrical surface-0f locking bolt 30 then forms an obstruction in the slot 20 of'the eyebolt, reventing axial move-- ment or removal of the e ebolt 15 but permitting its free rotation character of the slot 20.

It will thus be seen that I have invented a locking device having all its integral exposed parts and surfaces freely rotatable relative to each other so that, no ordinary as to the annular wrench or tool can be ap lied to integral parts held together to brea the same apart y manually twistingthe same relative to each other. Furthermore, by my invention, the lock maybe made so shortas to ractically preclude the use of tools to brea the said lock by lateral flexing or bending, the amount of bending moment capable of being applied bysuch tools depending, of course, on the distance between said tools.

\Vhile I have illustrated and described a preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into efi'ect, this is capable of many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I desire to avail myself of all such variations and modifications as come within the see e of the appended claims. aving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Iatent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing having a bore through the same, substantially cotter pin shaped eyebolts, each bore,

. tatably held table locking slot about its periphery, and locking means I comprising a transverse locking bolt, rotatable in said slot and having another slot in which said eyebolt is rotatable and slidable.

3. In a device of the class described, an elon ated casing having an axial bore extendmg through the same, having a transverse casing portionwith. anenlarged bore to' receive a key actuated lock barrel, said transverse portion also having a counter bore intersecting said axial bore in offset relation, an eyebolt swivelled in one end of said axial and a second eyebolt releasably and roin the other end'of said axial here by a rotatable bolt on said lock barrel.

4. In a device of the class described, a subill) stant-ially cylindrical casing having an axial I bore extending through the same, having a transverse cylindrical portion with an enlarged bore-to receive" a key actuated lock barrel, saidtransverse portion also having a counter bore intersecting said axial bore in offset relation, a cotter pin shaped eyebolt having its stem rotatably but non-reciprocably mounted in one end of said axial bore, a similar *cyebolt having an annular slot in the same adapted to register with said counter bore, and a-rotatable locking .bolt carried by said lock barrel for locking said latter eyebolt in said axial bore.

5. In a theft preventing device, bination of a casing having aplurality of bores therein, an eyebolt rotatably held in one of said bores, locking means disposed in another of said bores, includin a rota the combolt transversing said rst mentioned bore, and a second eyebolt having an 1 annular roove in its stem adapted to receive said locking bolt, said stem being rotatably held in said casing-by said bolt.-

6. In a theft preventing device, the combination of a casin with an eyebolt with its stem rotatably he (1 therein, said casing having a bore, locking means including a rotatable locking bolt transversely projecting into said bore, said bolt having a groove of cylindrical surface forming a part of the walls of said bore when in unlocked position, and a second eyebolt having an annular shoulder engageable'by said locking bolt torotatably retain said eyebolt.

7 In a theft preventing device the combination of a casing having two intersect-ing .bores therein, a lock barrel one bore having a rotatable locking bolt projecting transversely into the second bore, said barrel and first bore having registering annular grooves, a split steel ring in said grooves to retain said barrel in said bore, means for preventing a rotation of said barrel, an eyebolt rotatably held in one end of said second bore, and second eyebolt releasably and rotatably held in the other end of said second bore by said locking bolt.

8. In a theft preventing device, the combination of a casing having two intersecting bores therein, a lock barrel in one bore having a rotatable locking bolt projecting transversely into the second bore, said barrel and first bore having registering annular grooves, a split steel ring in said grooves to retain said barrel in said bore, means for preventing a rotation of said barrel, a substantially cotter pin shaped eyebolt in one end of said second bore, said eyebolt and bore having registering annular grooves, a split steel ring in said grooves to rotatably hold said eyebolt in said second bore, and a 'second eyebolt rofirst bore having registering annular. grooves,

a split steel ring in said grooves to retain said barrel in said bore, means for preventing a rotation of said barrel, a substantially cotter pin shaped eyebolt in one end of said second bore, said eyebolt and bore having registering annular grooves, a split steel ring in said grooves to rotatably hold said eyebolt in said second bore, and a second eyebolt of similar form having its stem in the other end of said second bore, said locking bolt having a groove to permit insertion of said stem and said second eyebolt having an annular groove to receive said locking bolt.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 2nd day of September, 1926.

JAMES F. RALEIGH. 

